Data from the 2010 U.S. Census indicates there’s a higher rate of racial and ethnic diversity among same-sex couples than heterosexual pairings, according to a study from the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute.
The report also indicated that couples that include a racial or ethnic minority are more likely to be raising children—A third of gay couples with at least one Hispanic partner are raising children.
“This is our first 2010 glimpse of the racial and ethnic compositions of U.S. households headed by couples, including same-sex couples,” said the Williams Institute’s Gary Gates. “The new Census data help provide a fuller picture of the diversity within the LGBT community.”
1equalityUSA
http://www.shaktitechnology.com/gaybrain.htm
Here’s an interesting article on the structure of gay brains. I would wonder if this is the reason why interracial coupling is more apt.
Hephaestion
I was surprised to see so few interracial couples in Vermont, but then I remembered: Oh yea, there are only 3 African Americans in Vermont.
Spike
Diversity tends to lead to more diversity, where as lack of diversity leads to marrying your second cousin. BTW, asian guys are HAWTE! Oh yea, and I’m a white guy.
Sebizzar
@Spike: Haha! Love everything about your comment 😀
Jamar
@Hephaestion: As a gay black male in Vermont, I was going to say the exact same thing.
Stefan
This really kills the whole “racism in the gay community” claim.
newportxwhore
It’s so true . My Bf is white and I’m Spanish . Love him !!
RLS
Yes, Stefan. Racism doesn’t exist in the gay community or on the planet at large because sometimes people of different races sleep together or even fall in love and couple up from time to time.
Now that that’s solved, why don’t you help us end the war in Afghanistan. I’m sure you’ve got some brilliant ideas.
james
The reason there are more interracial gay couples are because gay culture put white guys on a throme and all the black ,asian and latin guys chase after white guys.
james
@Stefan: How does this kill that claim?
Tackle
I don’t know what to make of this Census report. It can mean different things and go in different directions. When they say interacial, I’m sure the majority were,
White-Asian White-Haspanic/Latino: And I mean the lighter ones.
I don’t know the sample numbers they used, but the numbers are,
20.6% gay couples.
18.% of straight unmarried.
9.5% of straight married.
For 2010…
And I’m sure the couples who answered the survey questions are the ones more likely to be open for such relationships.
And this does NOT in anyway negate that there is racism within the (GLBT) communities.
And @James: no. Not all non-white guys are chasing after white guys. Only the self loathing ones. I chase, or rather, walk towards (DECENT) guys.
london89
sorry guys, but why is it always said to be racist then you don’t date another ethnicity?
i work with people from all over the world, always lived in districts where ethnic minorities are the majority in the neighborhood and try to get to know people from everywhere. that’s really great and i like the world becoming more and more open.
BUT then it comes to sexual attraction i can’t help myself. i can’t force myself to feel attracted to somebody, if i am not. i’m really sorry, but i’m rarely attracted to asian and black guys. why? i don’t know why!
seriously even if it is considered as superficial nearly everybody has a type of guy he feels attracted to and for me this is mostly spanish, italian or south-american guys. it’s the same with stereotypical gay behaviour: it’s okay for me to be friends with somebody who acts stereotypical gay, but sorry this doesn’t attract me in any sexual way.
why should i change the way i feel? i tried for a long time to convince myself that i’m not gay. it didn’t work. you can’t change or denie your sexual orientation. and right now i don’t wanna change my sexual attraction to “my type of guys”, because i think it won’t work either. attraction is there or it isn’t.
Adam
@james: That’s pretty shitty of you, dude. I’m white and my boyfriend is Asian. We live in an area where neither they gay, nor the interracial part is acceptable. I think it’s more than the cheap thrill of being with a white guy that makes it worth it for him. That’s quite a small-minded way of thinking, my friend.
the other Greg
@Tackle: Yeah, it’s impressive until you realize that according to the US Census, even Sarah Palin is in an “interracial relationship” (Todd is part Eskimo), if they self-reported that data.
But as for racism within LGBT communities & displayed in Queerty comments, I’ve come to believe we can compare it to rabid homophobia among “straight” guys (i.e., a reaction to their having gay tendencies). I think the racists here are trying to hide something from themselves.
RLS
Not all gay guys of color chase after white guys. In fact, most Latino and Black guys really only exclusively date each other. You only see the Black and Latino snow queens because the ones that are into each other would never be at those types of events.
Now Asians? I dunno. I’ve only ever met one Asian that was with another Asian. The rest truly do ONLY date white men.
cam
I think there are a few reasons.
1. The dating pool in the gay community is smaller, so why cut yourself off.
2. You’ve already broken the ideas and prejudices you were raised with by comming out, so are MUCH less likely to be tied down with other ones.
3. Hey, you’ve already upset your family by being gay, worrying about their reaction over something as stupid as the race of your other half is idiotic.
4. Gays are smart and realize that hotness and love comes in all colors.
Mangina
Who the fuck cares! Hawtness comes in many colors. Don’t limit yourself and take a sample of everything. Fall in love with whomever. This article is lame and the racist comments are stupid! If you can’t see the beauty in a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities then feel sorry for yourself.
Aric
@RLS: R-O-F-L-M-A-O
I will say it again. The comment section in Queerty breeds life.
SEXXYJAMAICAN
I guess it depends on the area. I’m from ATL. Most black gays here are into other black gays.
@james: Only the ugly ones chase after white dudes.
walt zipprian
I’m a white guy who spent years in a relationship with another white guy. Now I’m in a long term relationship with a Hispanic man. Ethnicity never played a factor in why we got together. I love(d) both of them for who they are. Not what their ethnic background is.
derby
woohoo! Im asian and my boyfriend is white.
he is pretty awesome
CBRad
@SEXXYJAMAICAN: In NYC I think most black guys prefer other black guys. At least there’s tons of separate black gay events.
Michael Bedwell
Class, can you say, “Unscientific”? While this information is interesting, once again the Williams Institute FAILS in their research integrity by not making clear that this is NOT necessarily representative of ALL gay couples in America because it only includes gay couples of SELF-identify to the government. When, even in 2011 research, 48% of college educated gays weren’t out at work, it’s ABSURD to think that the majority of gay couples are going to out themselves to the government. Therefore, without making that caveat very loud upfront and repeatedly, it’s scientific FRAUD to make assertions about us collectively in contrast to straight couples who obviously have no such fears about being open about their relationships to the government or anyone else.
There’s NOTHING wrong, of course, with mixed-race/ethnicity couples, and I’d bet there is a higher percentage overall. But this “research” demonstrates only a statistical probablity not a statistical reality.
Charlie
It’s so interesting how we take this data and then pas it through our own internal filter to make it mean what we want it to mean. I’ll do the same thing and just be happy that Love seems to be doing well for itself and is breaking down some barriers.
mc
For those wondering the sample size, the survey shows an 80% increase in same sex couple households (reporting) from 358,000 in 2000 to 646,000 in 2010. The data is coming from the US census bureau so I’m assuming it excludes couples who aren’t living together.
Freeman
@RLS: Amazing!
Katt
I am happy with the results of this survey. Do I believe they’re an 100% accurate depiction of gay life? Far from it! There is a shit load of racism that goes on in the gay world. I experience it everyday. I’m glad we are making progress, but we are a far cry from anywhere near where we need to be.
BlackBird
@RLS:
Now you know another. I’m Asian and I prefer Asian people (I have a tier list for the Asian groups…) over White people. White people are probably #5 on my list >.>
Aaron in Honolulu
Well let’s say you have 2 interracial couples (1 gay, 1 straight) walking down a busy public street in Vermont while holding hands. The straight couples’ first stigma would be that they are different races, the gay couples’ first stigma would be that they are the same gender. Since gay couples experience that first stigma, any differences beyond that would probably not be as worth noting or pointing out to others. So why fret over what the public thinks about interracial relationships when they already can’t get over the fact of you and your partner are gay.
I think most people avoid dating other races other than their own because:
1. Fear of the unfamiliar which can effect physical attraction
2. Being judged by people from their own race
3. Being judged by people from their partner’s race
Us gays have been disparaged all our lives for being gay, so anything we do after that we’re like, “Fuck it. Whatever.”
OrchidIslander
@RLS (the first one) +1,000 to your comment to Stefan. Now if you would only turn your wit to James and his “throne” or lack thereof mentality…..
KV
Well if by “interracial couples” you mean a bunch of black guys chasing after white guys then yeah, sure. It’s borderline harassment sometimes.
Wingfield
@KV: Troll!! As a black man I’ve never chased after a white man. However, I am completely open to falling in love with a black/asian/latino/ or white man. We’re all men, and we’re all gay, not sure why people make such a big deal about interracial relationships.
Craig
what I want to know is out of all the white gay men who are so pro interacial coupling how many of actually hang out on a consistant basis with gay men of color outside of the mainstream white gay male environment……how many actually have friends that are MOC outside of the one black/latin/indian/asian gay male in their inner circle
Pazmateo
Insert generalized racist-out-of-ignorance statement here… C’mon guys. We are a disparaged population, and we should be educated and culturally competent about other disparaged populations, like anyone of any color, trans people, women, etc.
adam [not same as above]
interesting piece, interesting controversy in the comments.
i need a working definition of “inter-ethnic.” it’s a polite way of saying hispanic and non-hispanic whites? asian is figured as a race, lumping vietnamese and chinese ethnicities within it? an italian neighborhood 60 years ago would have been an ethnic hood, but there’s no ethnicity there now? recent eastern european caucasian groups, from serbians to croatians to whomever, get a free pass on ethnicity, because when they got to this country they were already “white”? jewish is a religion to some, a national background to others?
i’m not intending to ruffle any feathers here, just to ask, what counts as ethnic these days?
KV
@Craig: There’s no need to have any. Men of color will change everything about themselves in order to hang out with the “mainstream” crowds. They voluntarily assimilate to this “mainstream” to which you’re referring.
James
@KV: You are speaking the truth.To many black gay men would slap their mother for a white guy just to talk to them.
Jamar
@James: Please don’t lump all of us together. In NYC I know a lot of gay black men that wouldn’t degrade themselves by doing that. In Vermont, since it is such a white state, you don’t have much of a choice but to “talk to them”.
Craig
@KV @James as Spike had it stated at the end on “School Daze” “WAKE UP”, What you are blinded to is that fact that the assimilation your talking about is the other way around. The #1 & #2 pop diva’s in the world are black Beyonce & Rihanna, Madonna got her start in the black & latino gay club culture, rock&roll originally call race music has its roots from the blues, the greatest disco / house / techno diva’s all black, so it’s not that MOC of color will assimilate in to white culture, white culture has taken to assimilating to what was originally considered black and making it white to fit their needs, for your Babs blacks have Diana Ross, your Liza blacks have Vanessa Williams and latinos have Chita Rivera & Rita Moreno. I could go tit for tat but that’s not the point the point is that you seem to think that gay MOC have to assimilate into white gay culture which is not that case, MOC have their own prides, movies, clubs, so on and so on, they may not be as abundant or as numerous but we have them. The box you & James live in includes MOC who choose to live in your world & have no other choice but don’t get it twisted MOC don’t have to assimilate into anything but for you to see that you would have to come out you comfort zone and take off your rose tinted glasses……. MOC men of color is inclusive of black / latino / hispanic / eastern asian / central asian / middler eastern or any person with an abundance of melanin in thier skin tone other than white.
Jamar
@Craig: Thank you for putting those small minded people in their place.
Aaron in Honolulu
@James: @: KV
You guys are either colored and self defeating or white and ignorant.
OrchidIslander
@KV: The borderline harassment goes both ways. Believe me. There are plenty of white gay men out there who have fantasies of being pounded senseless by the big black dick. Plenty. As a black gay male who physically personified the fantasy – the attention and level of aggression got pretty old pretty quick. Similarly – I’m sure that there are take no prisoners black gay men and other gay men of color for whom white gays are objects of desire as well.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that it only happens within one group and not all. That’s a narrow, ignorant and disingenuous way of thinking.
J. bocca
OMFG I friggin HATE PC white guys. “um excuse me but me and my ASIAN boyfriend aren’t together because I have a fetish for mongoloid obedient small dick sluts, it’s called love” YEA FRIGGIN RIGHT. Theres only 2 reasons why a white dude would date outside of their race, they are either A. UGLY, or B. They have a fetish. End of story.
Oh, ok
Lord have mercy, is this 2012?
These comments.
I can’t.
Frank
Oooo lord. Listening to these ignorant, arrogant, queens up in here really makes me want to take off my ear rings and get out my vaseline. These guys are lucky they are behind a computer screen with miles of fiber optic cable between us, because I wish they would come and say this stuff to my face.
KV
@OrchidIslander: You know you were/are more than happy to fulfill each and every stereotypical fantasy you supposedly personify. Also, let’s establish that there’s a big difference between pursuing a guy for a relationship and pursuing a guy for an experimental fling. The article is about interracial couples, not hook-ups.
KV
@Craig: “The box you & James live in includes MOC who choose to live in your world & have no other choice…” The keywords here are CHOOSE and CHOICE. So thanks for agreeing with me buddy. I sometimes find angry black men oddly sexy in a threatening way, but your rant was just way too diva-obsessed.
Aaron in Honolulu
@J. bocca:
Well at least Ms. J bocca is honest about her own ignorance. Anytime someone says ‘end of story’ at the end of their agressive statement (especially when it includes words in ALL CAPS) I instantly have confidence in what this person is saying and I tell myself over and over that I should probably take them seriously. End of story.
CBRad
@J. bocca: I like Asian guys, but..okay, I’ll admit it : I have a fetish for those S&M danger scenes that only the Yellow Peril types can provide.
D Caldwell
@RLS: Hilarious!
Joetx
@RLS: +1
Terry
Being gay is a minority in and of itself, and maybe that leads to a little more openness in the relationships. Despite this, there is a lot of racism in the gay community too
Cannon
@KV: KV, thank you for reminding me that racism, and arrogance does indeed exist in the gay community, as is demonstrated by your comments. I’m Black and get more attention from white guys here in West Hollywood,Ca than I do of other races, so I forget that guys like you exist. Thanks for the reminder.